As court proceedings and funeral arrangements play out in the wake of the killing of Andrew Michael Singler, his mother, Janis, said friends of his from across the country will be gathering to pay their respects.

And it’s not because his family has lived in four different states in his lifetime, she said.

“Sometimes as a parent, you think your child is the greatest,” said Janis. “Seeing all the comments from his friends on Facebook and other places just confirms it.”

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The Singler family has lived “all over the country” because her husband, Reeder, is employed within the automotive industry and gets transferred often, she said.

Wherever they went, she added, Andrew was always well-liked by his peers.

“He was such a great kid,” Janis said. “He respected everyone and could make anyone laugh.”

Andrew, a Michigan State University student from Oakland Township, was stabbed several times Saturday in his apartment in East Lansing.

He was found by his roommate, who drove him to the hospital, where he died shortly after. His girlfriend also lived with him, according to friends.

The Meridian Township Police Department — the entity who took the lead in the investigation — arraigned 18-year-old Connor McCowan, an Okemos resident, in Ingham County’s 55th District Court Monday in the killing. He was charged with open murder.

According to Meridian Township Sgt. Andrew McCready, Andrew and McCowan knew each other.

“They did have a relationship ... we’re not going to release more than that at this point,” McCready said Monday.

With her son’s viewing and funeral approaching, Janis reflected that Andrew’s killing left a big hole in the Singler family. He grew up with five brothers and one sister, the youngest in the family.

She said she wanted to let everyone know what a great person her son was. Born in Michigan, Andrew lived in three other states before the family moved back to the Rochester area when he was 14.

“He was always very well-rounded,” said his mother.

Andrew was an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed fishing, snowboarding, boating and sports.

“We have a boat, and every summer, Andrew loved to be out on the lake,” Janis said.

A graduate of Stoney Creek High School, Andrew played on the varsity soccer team and also loved hockey.

His longtime friend, Luke Norman, played soccer with him at the high school. The two sparked a relationship, “because I saw Andrew was such a good teammate,” Norman said.

Both eventually enrolled at MSU, and they remained friends while in college.

A huge Detroit Red Wings fan, Andrew could often be seen around the MSU campus with his jersey on whenever there was a game, said Norman.

“He just had a laugh and smile that were very contagious,” said Norman.

He was also a great friend who would “drop everything for you,” added Norman.

Just a week ago, he said, he embarked on a 10-hour drive to North Carolina to visit his girlfriend.

“Andrew called me up, and we talked — for over an hour — just so I had someone to talk to on the long drive,” said Norman.

He wasn’t only a driven student, said Norman. He was a person who could make you laugh.

In his mother’s words: “He was a jokester. He could recite one-liners out of movies on cue.”

His favorite movie to quote was “Dumb and Dumber,” said Norman.

“He would send me paragraphs of quotes from the movie, and we would go back and forth for hours,” he said. “He’s probably someone you’d enjoy getting a beer with.”

Janis said Andrew’s love for children sparked his choice of major, as well.

“He wanted to be a pediatric dentist ... he was amazing with children,” she said. “He would’ve graduated in May.”

Andrew was in the process of searching for graduate schools and taking tests to further his dream, said his mother.

“He took one test, and thought he might want to take it again,” she said.

He was thinking of applying to Midwestern University in Chicago, said his friend, Norman.

“He was a very, very good student,” Norman added. “He was in the final year of his program and was excited about going to grad school.”

About 150 people from Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas and New York already responded to funeral invitations, Janis said Tuesday.

And, she said, she expected it was only the beginning of a huge outpouring for her son.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 620 Romeo St., Rochester.